Apparatus, system, and method for utilizing tape media segmentation

ABSTRACT

An apparatus, system, and method are presented for utilizing tape storage media segmentation to improve data access performance. A segmented tape storage medium within a tape cartridge having a first and second segment is utilized. A selection module allows a user to select a user-defined capacity of the tape storage medium that is less than the usable capacity of the tape storage medium. The user-defined capacity allows the user to prefer improved data access over tape storage capacity. Data, when written to the tape, is written only within the user-defined capacity. Data may be written exclusively on the first segment or written on both the first segment and second segment allowing data access to be improved. In addition, the user-defined capacity may correspond to the full capacity of the tape storage media.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to tape storage media and moreparticularly, to utilizing tape storage media segmentation to improvedata access performance in a tape storage system.

2. Description of the Related Art

With each new generation of tape storage technology, the capacity ofavailable tape storage medium increases. The total storage capacity of atape depends on many factors, including the physical dimensions of thetape, the data compression, if any, used to write data to the tape, thenumber of tracks across the width of the tape, and so forth. Anotherfactor that may distinguish physical capacity from usable capacity isthat the usable capacity is often defined to be slightly less than thephysical capacity. This is due, in part, to servo tracks, data blockheaders, and other metadata blocks throughout the tape.

As total tape storage capacity increases, however, so too does the timerequired to access data on a tape. For many data storage uses, such as adata backup, longer access time to the data is acceptable. However, manyother data storage applications would at, benefit from faster dataaccess times even though tapes of greater capacity and increased dataaccess times are used in the storage system.

For tape storage applications, data is typically stored onto a magnetictape medium, such as a metallic ribbon, within a tape cartridge using atape drive. The tape medium conventionally is designed to include aplurality of tracks that are distributed across the physical width ofthe tape medium and run the physical length of the tape medium. A tapewrite head within the tape drive is typically capable of writing up tosixteen tracks at one time, starting at one end of the tape and movingalong the length of the tape. When the tape write head reaches the endof the tape, the head is aligned over the proximate track set, thedirection of the tape is reversed, and the write head writes anadditional sixteen tracks in the opposite direction. This “serpentine”pattern may continue until all tracks have been written.

The process for reading data from the tape medium is essentially thesame. A tape read head moves across the tape medium and reads sixteentracks from one end of the tape medium to the other. The tape read headthen realigns to read an additional sixteen tracks and moves over thesecond set of tracks in the opposite direction.

Given the large capacity of conventional tape storage devices, variousdata blocks may be stored on a single tape medium. The location of eachof these data blocks may be marked on the tape using block headerinformation, data pads (areas of tape where data is intentionally notwritten), and other conventional identification means and methods. Thetape read head is able to locate a particular block of data by using oneor more servo tracks that are written onto the tape storage medium.

More recently, manufacturers of tape storage products have directedtheir attention in part to improving data access time using tape storagedrives and cartridges. One method that has been employed to address theproblem of increased data access time is to employ various levels oftransparent buffering in which tape data may be stored in connectionwith other storage mediums, such as a direct access storage device(DASD) or an optical disk. If the requested tape data is stored on aDASD cache, data retrieval time may be improved greatly. However, thestorage capacity of a DASD cache is typically significantly less thanthat of a tape storage system, and the DASD cache must migrate much ofthe data to tape cartridges in order to be able to buffer more recentdata. For this reason, a DASD cache only improves data retrieval timefor data that is in the DASD cache at the time of the data request, butdoes not improve the time for much of the data that has been migrated totape and demoted from the cache.

In the case of storing data on an optical disk, data access times may beimproved over that of a tape, but typically the storage capacity of anoptical disk is much less than that of a tape cartridge. Currently,technology allows as much as 300 Gb of non-compacted data to be storedon a single, standard tape cartridge.

Another method of improving data access time is to segment the tapestorage medium into two or more segments and to write data to thesegments in a sequential manner. A tape segment may include a specifiedcapacity, or physical length of tape, that is less than the totalcapacity of the tape. For example, a tape storage medium may be dividedinto two segments. When writing data to the tape, the data is written tothe first segment and then to the second segment. This method improvesdata access time in that the first segment may be written to or readfrom without physically forwarding all the way to the end of the tapestorage medium.

The first segment may include, for example, only one fifth of the totaltape storage capacity, and data access time is greatly improved when thefirst segment is located at the physical beginning of the tape. In thisway, the tape drive need only advance one fifth of the way through thetotal length of the tape medium, rather than all the way to the physicalend of the tape, before reversing direction. The data stored in thecapacity of the first segment is located near the beginning of the tape,rather than being distributed along the entire length of the tapeimproving data access time. The data stored in subsequent segments isdistributed further from the beginning of the tape which increases thedata access time.

What is needed is a process, apparatus, and system for improving dataaccess performance of a tape storage system using tape mediasegmentation. Beneficially, such a process, apparatus, and system wouldallow a user to take advantage of the tape media segmentation in orderto quickly access specified data.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed in response to the presentstate of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems andneeds in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currentlyavailable tape storage media devices and methods. Accordingly, thepresent invention has been developed to provide an apparatus, system,and process for utilizing tape storage media segmentation to improvedata access performance that overcome many of the above-discussedshortcomings in the art.

The apparatus for utilizing tape media segmentation to improve dataaccess performance is provided with a logic unit containing a pluralityof modules configured to functionally execute the necessary steps ofutilizing tape storage media segmentation to improve data accessperformance. These modules in the described embodiments include asegmentation module, a selection module, a mapping module, anidentification module, a write module, and a read module.

The apparatus, in one embodiment, is configured to allow a user toselect a user-defined capacity that is less than the physical capacityand usable capacity of the tape storage medium. The user-definedcapacity may be defined to be the same as the capacity of a firstsegment of the tape storage medium or may be defined to be less than orgreater than the capacity of a first segment of the tape storage medium.In one embodiment, the user-defined capacity may span two or moresegments of the tape storage medium.

In a further embodiment, the apparatus may be configured to allow theuser to select the user-defined capacity of the tape storage medium atany time before or after the data has been stored on the tape storagemedium. If selected after, however, the user-defined capacity may belimited to a capacity equal to or larger than the currently usedcapacity of the tape, unless provisions are made to, for example,transfer the data from the unspecified portion of the tape to anothertape or storage device.

The apparatus is further configured, in one embodiment, to utilize thesegmentation of the tape storage medium. The apparatus may be capable ofreading a parameter within a storage device, such as a tape storageserver, that defines the tape media segmentation of a particular tapecartridge.

In a further embodiment, the mapping module within the apparatus isconfigured to associate the user-defined capacity with the tapecartridge on which the tape storage medium is provided. In other words,the mapping module is configured to store a table entry identifying thecapacity usage of the tape storage medium within a given tape cartridge.

In a further embodiment, the write module within the apparatus isconfigured to write data to the tape storage medium within theuser-defined capacity. The read module within the apparatus isconfigured to read data from the tape storage medium.

The identification module within the apparatus is configured to identifythe tape cartridge as “full” when a substantial portion of theuser-defined capacity of the tape storage medium is used to store thedata. For example, if a user defines the capacity of a particular tapecartridge to be 30%, the identification module is configured to mark thetape “full” when data is written to approximately 30% of the tape. Theuser-defined 30% capacity may include a portion of the first segment or,in another embodiment, may fully include at least the first segment ofthe tape storage medium.

A system of the present invention is also presented for utilizing tapemedia segmentation to improve data access performance. The system may beembodied as a host computer accessing a tape storage subsystem whichconsists of one or more tape drive units, a plurality of tapecartridges, and optionally an automatic tape library unit, a virtualtape server (VTS), and a storage area network (SAN).

In particular, the system, in one embodiment, includes a tape storagesystem configured to communicate data to and from a segmented tapecartridge. The system also includes a segmentation module, a selectionmodule, a mapping module, a write module, an identification module, anda read module, each configured as described above. In a furtherembodiment, the segmentation module may be further configured toactually specify and enable the segmentation layout on the tape storagemedium.

A process of the present invention is also presented for utilizing tapemedia segmentation to improve data access performance. The process inthe disclosed embodiments substantially includes the steps necessary tocarry out the functions presented above with respect to the operation ofthe described apparatus and system. In one embodiment, the processincludes using a tape cartridge that has a tape storage medium, usingtwo or more segments on the tape storage medium, and allowing a user toselect a user-defined capacity that is less than the usable capacity ofthe tape storage medium.

As described above, the user-defined capacity may be less than, equalto, or greater than the capacity of the first segment of the tapestorage medium. Also, a user may define the capacity at one of severaltimes during the use of a tape cartridge, depending on the limitationsoutlined above.

In a further embodiment, the process includes associating theuser-defined capacity of the tape storage medium with the tapecartridge, such as by recording the name or other identifier of the tapecartridge in a table. The process described may also include writingdata to the tape storage medium within the user-defined capacity,identifying a tape cartridge as “full” when a substantial portion of theuser-defined capacity of the tape storage medium is used to store thedata.

A computer readable storage medium is also presented and configured tostore computer code to carry out the process for utilizing tape storagemedia segmentation to improve data access performance.

These features and advantages of the present invention will become morefully apparent from the following description and appended claims, ormay be learned by the N ° m practice of the invention as set forthhereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the advantages of the invention will be readilyunderstood, a more particular description of the invention brieflydescribed above will be rendered by reference to specific embodimentsthat are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that thesedrawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are nottherefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the inventionwill be described and explained with additional specificity and detailthrough the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of atape storage system in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of atape media utilization apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of atape media segmentation apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of aserpentine recording pattern on a section of a tape storage medium inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a sectionof a segmented tape storage medium in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment ofa section of segmented tape storage medium in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment ofa method for selecting a user-defined capacity for a given tape storagemedium in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment ofa method for storing data that utilizes tape storage media segmentationto improve data access performance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Many of the functional units described in this specification have beenlabeled as modules, in order to more particularly emphasize theirimplementation independence. For example, a module may be implemented asa hardware circuit comprising custom VLSI circuits or gate arrays,off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or otherdiscrete components. A module may also be implemented in programmablehardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmablearray logic, programmable logic devices or the like.

Modules may also be implemented in software for execution by varioustypes of processors. An identified module of executable code may, forinstance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computerinstructions which may, for instance, be organized as an object,procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identifiedmodule need not be physically located together, but may comprisedisparate instructions stored in different locations which, when joinedlogically together, comprise the module and achieve the stated purposefor the module.

Indeed, a module of executable code could be a single instruction, ormany instructions, and may even be distributed over several differentcode segments, among different programs, and across several memorydevices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustratedherein within modules, and may be embodied in any suitable form andorganized within any suitable type of data structure. The operationaldata may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed overdifferent locations including over different storage devices, and mayexist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system ornetwork.

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of a tapestorage system 100 that may be employed in accordance with the presentinvention. The tape storage system 100 shown includes an optionalautomated tape library unit 102, and at least one host 106. Each host106 may be a mainframe computer. Alternatively, the host 106 may be aserver or personal computer using one of a variety of operating systems.The host 106 is connected to the optional automated tape library unit102 via a storage area network (SAN) or similar communication channel108. Alternatively, the host 106 may be connected directly to a tapedrive. The communication channel 108, in one embodiment, may be a FICONor ESCON.

The illustrated automated tape library unit 102 includes a librarymanager 110, one or more tape drive units 112, an accessor 114, and aplurality of tape storage media cartridges 116. The plurality of tapestorage cartridges 116 may be stored in one or more media cartridgestorage bins (not identified).

The library manager 110, which may include a computing processor (notshown), is interconnected with and controls the actions of the tapedrive units 112 and the accessor 114. The library manager 110 also mayinclude one or more hard disk drives (not shown) for memory storage, aswell as, a control panel or keyboard (not shown) to provide user input.The control panel may be, in one embodiment, a computer in communicationwith the library manager 110 so that a user can control the operatingparameters of the automated tape library unit 102 independently of thehost 106.

In FIG. 1, three tape drive units 112 are shown. The present inventionis operable with one or any larger number of tape drive units 112. Thetape drive units 112 may share one single repository of tape storagecartridges 116. Alternatively, the tape drive units 112 mayindependently correspond to and utilize multiple repositories of tapestorage cartridges 116. The tape drive units 112 may advantageously bedistributed over multiple locations to decrease the probability thatmultiple tape drive units 112 will be incapacitated by a disaster in onelocation.

The interconnections between the library manager 110, the tape driveunits 112, and the accessor 114 are shown as dashed lines to indicatethat the depicted library manager 110 transmits and receives controlsignals to the tape drive units 112 and the accessor 114. Data forstorage or retrieval may be transmitted directly between the host 106and the tape drive units 112 via a communication channel 108, which maybe a storage area network (SAN), a local area network (LAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN), or a different type of network, such as the ESCON, FICON,the Internet or a direct connection between the host 106 and the tapedrive devices 112.

The accessor 114 may be a robotic arm or other mechanical deviceconfigured to transport the selected tape storage cartridges 116 betweena storage bin and a tape drive unit 112. The accessor 114 typicallyincludes a cartridge gripper and a bar code scanner (not shown), orsimilar read system, mounted on the gripper. The bar code scanner isused to read a volume serial number (VOLSER) printed on a cartridgelabel affixed to the cartridge 116. In alternative embodiments, the tapedrive units 112 may be replaced by optical disk drives or other magneticdrives. Similarly, the tape storage cartridges 116 may be replaced byother storage media cartridges utilizing magnetic media, optical media,or any other removable media corresponding to the type of driveemployed.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a tape media utilization apparatus202 within the scope of the present invention. In one embodiment, thetape media utilization apparatus 202 is implemented within the host 106.In another embodiment, the tape media utilization apparatus 202 may beimplemented within a library manager 110 or individual tape drive 112.

The tape media utilization apparatus 202 provides the functionality thatpermits the media cartridges 116 to be used in segmented form. Asmentioned above segmentation of the tape media allows for faster dataaccess because the tape drive heads may traverse a segment of a lengthytape more quickly than the whole length of tape. Accordingly, becausetapes are read sequentially from start to end, the first segmentprovides faster access to data stored thereon. One or more subsequentsegments provide additional storage capacity, but have longer dataaccess times.

Preferably, segmentation of the tape media cartridge 116 permits a firstsegment to be used either exclusively or in conjunction with one or moresubsequent segments. If the first segment is used exclusively, a usermay specify the capacity of the first segment. The capacity for thefirst segment may be specified as a specific number of bytes or as acertain percentage of the full capacity for the tape media cartridge116. In addition, both a first segment and a second segment may be usedto store the user's data. The second segment may store a portion of afirst dataset or a completely different dataset.

FIG. 3 depicts one embodiment of a tape media utilization module 202that includes a segmentation module 302, a selection module 304, amapping module 306, an identification module 308, a write module 310,and a read module 312. In one embodiment, the segmentation module 302 isconfigured to access a first and second segment on a tape storagemedium. In a further embodiment, the segmentation module 302 isconfigured to divide a tape storage medium into multiple segments, suchas a first segment and a second segment. This segmentation may be doneautomatically by the tape drive unit 112, for example, or may occur inresponse to a user input specifying a user defined segmentation layout.Furthermore, the capacity of the first and second segments may bedefined according to historical data access information and performancecriteria.

The selection module 304 may be configured to allow a user to define anamount of the tape storage medium that may be used to record data. Theselected capacity may or may not be substantially equivalent to thecapacity of the first segment. In one embodiment, an application on thehost 106 may automatically select the full storage capacity of the tapestorage medium if no user-defined capacity is input. Such a selectionfavors storage capacity over data access performance. Otherwise, a usermay select a user-defined capacity the same as or different from anautomatic capacity setting. The user-defined capacity may be selectedbefore or after data is stored on the tape storage medium. Theuser-defined capacity also may be influenced by historical data accessinformation and performance criteria.

The mapping module 306 of the tape media utilization module 202 isconfigured, in one embodiment, to map the user-defined capacity orautomatic default capacity to a specific tape storage cartridge 116. Forexample, if a user selects via the selection module 304 20% as auser-defined capacity for a specific tape storage cartridge 116, themapping module 306 stores a record that associates a 20% user-definedcapacity with the particular tape storage cartridge 116. The record maybe stored, in one embodiment, within a host 106 or a library manager 110or on another storage device. The identification module 308 isconfigured to identify a tape storage cartridge 116 as “full” when asubstantial portion of the user-defined capacity of the tape storagemedium has been used to store the data.

The write module 310 is configured to write data from a host 106 to atape storage medium on a tape storage cartridge 116 up to theuser-defined capacity. The read module 312 is configured to read datafrom a tape storage medium on a tape storage cartridge 116 and send theretrieved data to a host 106.

FIG. 4 depicts one embodiment of a section of tape storage medium 400that may be used to store data within a tape storage cartridge 116described above. The illustrated tape storage medium 400 is formattedwith serpentine recording path and is divided into sixteen head indexpositions (HIPs). In a further embodiment, the tape storage medium 400may be formatted for interleaved longitudinal recording or anotherrecording technique.

In one embodiment, each head index position (HIP) includes 32 tracksthat are divided into two sets of sixteen tracks each. On a metalparticle tape storage medium 400 that is approximately 12.7 mm [0.5″],for example, current technology allows 512 tracks of data (32 tracks foreach of sixteen head index positions). In this way, using the propertape drive unit 112, sixteen tracks of data may be written or read atthe same time with a single pass of a read or write head, respectively,over the tape storage medium 400.

For example, a write head (not shown) may begin writing data to thetrack set “S01” within the head index position “HIP 01” at the beginningof the tape storage medium 400 and write approximately to the physicalend of the tape storage medium 400. The write head may then pass in theopposite direction over the track set “S02,” still within the head indexposition “HIP 01,” and write data to the proximate sixteen tracks overthe entire length of the tape storage medium 400. In a single roundtrip, data may be written over 32 tracks within a single head indexposition (HIP). In one embodiment, current technology employs a tapestorage medium 400 that is approximately 580 m [1902.9 ft] in length andmay store as much as 300 Gb of non-compacted data.

FIG. 5 depicts one embodiment of a section of tape storage medium 500that is similar to the tape storage medium 400 shown in FIG. 4. However,the tape storage medium 500 of FIG. 5 is segmented into two segments, afirst segment 502 and a second segment 504. In one embodiment, forexample, which uses a tape storage medium 500 with a total capacity of300 Gb, the tape storage medium 500 may be segmented into a firstsegment 502 of approximately 60 Gb and a second segment 504 of theremaining 240 Gb.

In the depicted embodiment, the first segment 502 may be separated fromthe second segment 504 by a segment header 506. The segment header 506may include information descriptive of the data stored in the secondsegment 504. On either side of the segment header 506, the tape storagemedium 500 may include data pads, similar to a data pad at the physicalbeginning or end of the tape storage medium 500. The data pads provide asmall buffer between the data written in the segment header 506 and thedata written in the first and second segments 502, 504. In anotherembodiment, there may not be a segment header 506. Instead, anapplication storing data and the tape drive 112 may cooperate to cartrack and maintain a logical division between the first segment 502 andthe second segment 504.

The depicted tape storage medium 500 shows the serpentine recordingpaths within the first and second segments 502, 504. For example, in thefirst segment 502, data may be recorded on the track set “S01” in aforward direction 508 up to approximately the N ° segment header 506 andthen on the track set “S02” in a reverse direction 510 back to thebeginning of the tape storage medium. Data may then be recorded on thetrack set “S03” in the forward direction 508 and on the track set “S04”in the reverse direction 510. This recording pattern may continue untilthe entire first segment 502 contains data. Data may then be recordedbeginning on track set “S01” in the second segment 504 after the segmentheader 506 until the end of the tape storage medium 500. Data may thenbe recorded on the track set “S02” within the second segment 504 fromthe end of the tape storage medium 500 back to the segment header 506.This recording pattern likewise may continue until the entire secondsegment 504 contains data.

In an alternate embodiment, data may be written to only a portion of thefirst segment 502 and/or a portion of the second segment 504. As shownin FIG. 6, the first segment 502 of a tape storage medium 600 may befully written while the second segment 504 may be only partially writtenthrough the track sets “S01” through “S16,” for example.

FIG. 7 depicts one embodiment of a selection process 700 for selecting auser-defined capacity for a given tape storage medium 500 within a tapestorage cartridge 116. The depicted selection process 700 starts when auser determines 702 storage performance criteria for application data.Next, the user determines 704 whether the application data should bestored for fast access or for full capacity. As used herein, fast accessrefers to storing data on a first segment of a tape media. The firstsegment being the first segment encountered when a rewound tape is firstmounted. Because the tape drive makes less mechanical movement,particularly for serpentine tracks, data access is faster than accessingsubsequent segments on a tape cartridge 116.

If a user selects full capacity, the tape cartridge 116 is filled 706with data to its full capacity. If a user selects fast access, adetermination 708 is made whether to store the application data on justthe first segment or allow the data to spill over into one or moresubsequent segments. If only the first segment is selected, the userspecifies 710 the capacity for the first segment as an actual value oras a percentage of the size of the tape media. Data stored to the tapemedia is then limited to the first segment. If the user decides to usemore segments than just the first segment, the user specifies 712 thecapacity to use for the tape media. If the data stored exceeds the firstsegment, the data is written on subsequent segments.

The user-defined capacity for a specific tape storage cartridge 116 mayvary. For example, a user may define a capacity that is equal to thesize of the first segment 502, such as 60 Gb (20% of 300 Gb), of thetape storage medium 500. In an alternative embodiment, the user maydefine a capacity that is either smaller or larger than the firstsegment 502. In a further embodiment, the user may specify a capacitythat includes more than two segments on the tape storage medium 500 ifthe tape storage medium 500 is formatted with a plurality of segments.For example, FIG. 6 may depict a tape storage medium 600 that isformatted in two segments 502, 504 and defined to have a capacity of60%. Assuming the first segment 502 and second segment 504 are formattedto include approximately 20% and 80%, respectively, of the totalcapacity, the tape storage medium 600, when written to capacity, wouldfill all (20%) of the first segment 502 and then fill half (40%) of thesecond segment 504.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method 800 for storing data that utilizes tapestorage media segmentation to improve data access performance. Themethod 800 begins once a user has determined 802 the appropriateuser-defined capacity for the tape storage cartridge 116. This isdescribed above in relation to FIG. 7. Preferably, the user-definedcapacity is stored 804 as a capacity specification for the applicationthat will be storing data on the tape storage media 116.

The method 800 then determines 805 if data is to be written. Next, thesource data to be stored on the tape storage media 116 is received 806.In one embodiment, the tape drive unit 112 receives 806 the source data.The tape drive 112 mounts 807 a tape, if necessary, and begins writing808 the source data to a segmented tape storage media 116. Next, adetermination 810 is made whether the user-defined capacity has beenreached. This determination 810 is made by the application in the host106 with reference to the storage capacity specification 804.

If the user-defined capacity has not been reached, the application onthe host 106, for example, may continue to receive 806 and write 808source data until the user defined capacity is reached 810. Once theuser-defined capacity of the tape storage medium 116 is reached, theapplication on the host 106 considers and marks 812 the tape storagemedium 116 “full.” The tape storage media 116 is then demounted 814 andthe application determines 805 if there is more data to be written.After all of the data has been written, the tape is demounted 814, ifmounted, and the method 800 ends.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

1. An apparatus for utilizing tape storage media segmentation to improvedata access performance, the apparatus comprising: a tape storage mediumconfigured to store data; a segmentation module configured to access afirst segment and a second segment on the tape storage medium; and aselection module configured to allow a user to select a user-definedcapacity of the tape storage medium that is less than a usable capacityof the tape storage medium.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theselection module is further configured to allow the user to select auser-defined capacity that is substantially equivalent to the capacityof the first segment of the tape storage medium.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the selection module is further configured to allow theuser to select a user-defined capacity that is greater than the capacityof the first segment of the tape storage medium.
 4. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the selection module is further configured to allow theuser to select the user-defined capacity of the tape storage mediumbefore the data has been stored on the tape storage medium.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the selection module is further configuredto allow the user to select the user-defined capacity of the tapestorage medium after the data has been stored on the tape storagemedium.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a mapping moduleconfigured to associate the user-defined capacity with a tape storagedevice on which the tape storage medium is provided.
 7. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising a write module that is configured to writedata to the tape storage medium within the user-defined capacity.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising an identification module thatis configured to identify a tape storage medium as full when asubstantial portion of the user-defined capacity of the tape storagemedium has been used to store the data.
 9. A system for utilizing tapestorage media segmentation to improve data access performance, thesystem comprising: a tape storage device having a tape storage mediumthat is configured to store data, the tape storage medium having a firstsegment and a second segment; a host that is configured to communicatewith the tape storage device; a segmentation module configured to accessa first segment and a second segment on the tape storage medium; aselection module that is configured to allow a user to select auser-defined capacity of the tape storage medium that is less than ausable capacity of the tape storage medium; a mapping module configuredto associate the user-defined capacity of the tape storage medium withthe tape storage device; a write module that is configured to write datato the tape storage medium within the user-defined capacity; anidentification module that is configured to identify a tape storagedevice as full when a substantial portion of the user-defined capacityof the storage medium is used to store the data; and a read module thatis configured to read data from the tape storage medium.
 10. The systemof claim 9, wherein the segmentation module is further configured to usethe tape storage medium according to a segmentation layout.
 11. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the segmentation layout defines a pluralityof segments on the tape storage medium, each segment having auser-defined size.
 12. A process for utilizing tape storage mediasegmentation to improve data access performance, the process comprising:providing a tape storage device having a tape storage medium; accessingat least one of a first segment and a second segment on the tape storagemedium; and allowing a user to select a user-defined capacity of thetape storage medium that is less than a usable capacity of the tapestorage medium.
 13. The process of claim 12, wherein allowing a user toselect a user-defined capacity further comprises allowing the user toselect a user-defined capacity that is substantially equivalent to thecapacity of the first segment of the tape storage medium.
 14. Theprocess of claim 12, wherein allowing a user to select a user-definedcapacity further comprises allowing the user to select a user-definedcapacity that is greater than the capacity of the first segment of thetape storage medium.
 15. The process of claim 12, wherein allowing auser to select a user-defined capacity further comprises allowing theuser to select the user-defined capacity of the tape storage mediumbefore the data has been stored on the tape storage medium.
 16. Theprocess of claim 12, wherein allowing a user to select a user-definedcapacity further comprises allowing the user to select the user-definedcapacity of the tape storage medium after the data has been stored onthe tape storage medium.
 17. The process of claim 12, further comprisingassociating the user-defined capacity of the tape storage medium withthe tape storage device.
 18. The process of claim 12, further comprisingwriting data to the tape storage medium within the user-definedcapacity.
 19. The process of claim 12, further comprising identifying atape storage device as full when a substantial portion of theuser-defined capacity of the tape storage medium is used to store thedata.
 20. A computer readable storage medium comprising computerreadable code configured to carry out the process for utilizing tapestorage media segmentation to improve data access performance of claim12.